Blogging – A reflection by yours truly

I seriously can’t believe we are at the end of our 6 weeks together. What seemed never-ending at the start of summer feels bittersweet as we finish up the last few days together. Now, for many of you who already know, I graduated in May but needed this class to “officially” get my degree. It was nothing short of a mental breakdown when I called up my grad advisor wondering why my degree evaluation wasn’t complete. Literally I broke down crying after that phone call. Legit, it sucked! Like how are you going to tell me that I needed one unit to get my degree after I just walked across the stage at commencement two days prior? Bizarre….

Honestly, I didn’t think this class was going to have any affect on me in the long run. I had already gotten a 10 on the WPA my sophomore year, so taking this class was going to be just another requirement I had to fulfill. Boy was that a huge misconception. Haha

This class, Professor Flewelling, my fellow classmates and the new friendships I’ve formed are nothing short of extraordinary. After completing over 120 units, this class was the cherry on top of the cake. The skills I’ve learned in this class and the freedom to express myself in every assignment (especially these blog posts) have been rewarding nonetheless.

Learning about identity kits in various discourses from James Paul Gee, to adopting new genres from Amy Devitt, the knowledge I gained in this class is applicable in any new writing scenario I find myself in. Whether its grad school applications, a job performance review, or a S.O.A.P note, writing in various settings is no longer intimidating to me.

Sharing this blog was a way for me to share a piece of myself with you all. This “identity kit, complete with appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize,” is something I created long before taking this class. My blog is a platform where I can express myself without constraints and inspire others with the content I post.

My identity kit consists of positive conversations, organized posts, matching quotes, somewhat catchy titles and writing from the heart. My goal as I created this identity kit has always been to connect with my readers (which includes y’all now). At first I was a little skeptical to share my personal blog with my classmates, but I reflected on the topic and the conclusion seemed clear Why not share my authentic self with others? Who knows, it may ignite a creative fire in someone else’s mind. So here we are, friends!

It hasn’t always been fun & games though… Using my personal blog platform to complete the class blogs were challenging. I’m so used to writing about specific content, and now I had to appear somewhat academic in my writing style and presentation of ideas. Although the genre of blogging can be as formal or conversational as one chooses, writing for a specific purpose (to answer the prompt) was a different experience. My favorite part was actually responding to my classmates and gaining valuable insight from them. It felt like the conversations were engaging and expanded on concepts in a meaningful way.

Usually I spend a whole day drafting up a normal blog post, which includes writing, uploading images, editing and creating social media blurbs to describe the post I am sharing. Clearly, we didn’t have to spend so much of our valuable time going through this tedious process. I liked the fact that the time constraints of this blog got me to think quickly on my feet, put pen to paper, write till I drop and then worry about making it all look pretty towards the end. In any situation, being adaptable is valuable to growth.

Just like I mentioned in my six-word memoir (wow that feels like so long ago), I’m on a journey towards self-discovery and growth. Completing these blog posts, engaging with you all, analyzing different topics and expanding the content on my platform has been nothing short of an upward trajectory.

In blogging we value the quality of the writing, the depth of the narrative and the overall package in which it is presented to the readers. Sometimes the creation of our work may feel limiting due to the nature of a prompt, but regardless of these minute limitations blogs value the voice of the individual. In our class, everyone presented their unique self and shared the most personal details about themselves. This is the power of blogging.

Six weeks ago we were all strangers walking into a familiar classroom. This week, as we finish the last few days I see a mini-family when I walk through the hallways. I see vibrant familiar faces and unforgettable experiences. And for that, I thank you.

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Published by Ashna

4 Replies to “Blogging – A reflection by yours truly”

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful blog! It is such a beautiful reflection of you! Your blog is so eloquently written and always well thought out. Congratulations on officially graduating! I agree, blogging is truly a powerful. Your blog inspires me to create a cool blog like yours! I wish you luck in your future endeavors! I am sure you will do wonderful in your field of work. Thank you again for sharing!

I understand what you mean Ashna. In the beginning, I just saw this class as the last hoop I had to jump through before getting my diploma, but the class feels like the best ending I could have gotten to this whole crazy thing. After having the idea of “doing whatever is assigned” pounded into me for the last 4 years, this class was a refreshing change.

The amount of freedom that we were given in our writing not only helped me warm up a bit more towards writing, it has also given me a bit more confidence in my ability to adapt to different writing situations. Professor Flewelling brought enthusiasm and sincerity to the class, and it showed and made the class what it is.

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